Preventing and Treating Sports Injuries in Children

Although many people associate sports with warm weather, as you most likely know from working for a not for profit organization, sports are a year-round way of keeping children occupied and active. Each year, over three million children ages 14 and under suffer from sports-related injuries. It’s estimated that as many as 20 percent of children participating in sports are injured each year. Young athletes are at an increased risk for injury because their bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments are still growing.

Safety Tips

Although there is risk of injury involved, that chance should never injury should never keep a child from participating in sports. Instead coaches, officials and staff need to follow safety guidelines and provide the proper protective equipment to keep young athletes safe during play. Parents, coaches and children are encouraged to follow these safety precautions:

Have an adult present whenever children engage in sports

Make sure children are using appropriate and properly fitted protective equipment

Teach children to stretch beforehand to reduce the risk of strains or other injuries

Remind children to cool down afterwards.

Drink plenty of liquids before playing to prevent dehydration

Don’t play when tired or in pain

If Injury Occurs

Prompt treatment can often prevent a minor injury from turning into something much worse. The first step is to use RICE therapy—an acronym for the steps you should take immediately following an injury:

Rest: After being injured, an athlete should immediately rest

Ice: Ice the injury to prevent swelling

Compress: Wrap a bandage or towel around the injury

Elevate: Elevating the injury can help drain excess fluid and reduce swelling

Sometimes, an injury will be more severe. If a child displays any of the following signs, he or she may need to visit the doctor:

Marlene (Marty) Butler is Senior Vice President, Practice Leader for Assurance’s Senior Living and Not For Profit divisions. With more than 25 years of experience, Marty capitalizes on her expertise to help set the strategy and vision of both practice groups based on client needs, industry trends and regulations. Before joining Assurance, Marty held many different roles within the insurance industry, including claim handling, underwriting, accounting, marketing, client services and sales. Marty is actively involved in several associations, including the Illinois Health Care Association (IHCA), LeadingAge, the American Health Care Association (AHCA)/National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) and Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA).